London 2012 is coming

GB Women's Captain Lynn McCafferty was at the MCH Arena in Herning on the final weekend, where she told eurohandball.com about EHF EURO 2010, GB and the London 2012 Olympics.

eurohandball.com: Many teams improved with their performances in December at EHF EURO 2010, this must have been inspiring for you and the GB team to see?

Lynn McCafferty: Yes, of course, but the big difference for us is that we are not a big handball nation, unlike Sweden or Romania who have been down for the past couple of years. Romania have been coming up and are competing with the Scandinavian countries which shows what hard work and commitment can do.

eurohandball.com: As captain of the GB Women’s handball team you must have felt great pride when you were at an event as big as the EHF EURO 2010 and saw the female handball family there?

Lynn McCafferty: It was great to be there and watch it live and see the atmosphere. Obviously I’m a little bit jealous that I was not on court playing, but for women’s sport in general and handball, a tournament like that is such a massive achievement to pull off. Handball is such a big sport in Denmark and Norway and it would be great if it was as big in other places as it is here.

eurohandball.com: Tell us about the British Handball Association’ proposals to bring all the GB players together in London at Crystal Palace ahead of the London 2012 Olympics.

Lynn McCafferty: I think Jesper and Vigdis have the 20 players they want for the London 2012 Olympics, to take down to the 14 for the squad. We’ve been spread out now for the past four-and-a-half years.

We are not going to grow anymore, so we can now be brought together and this is the best way to make the next step for us, play together more often, be together, perform together and get stronger together and build more on that great team spirit.

To have all the squad there together will be absolutely fantastic for us and because we have great coaches who believe in us it will happen, and we’ll find out in January and it can’t be better for us.

eurohandball.com: With their win in the final, Norway have become the first team to qualify for the women’s handball tournament at the London 2012 Olympics.

Lynn McCafferty: I was a bit awestruck being there on the final day. I’m a big handball fan so to watch them play was something else. To play against them you’ll have to ask me nearer the time as it feels unbelievable.

I think if they are one of the teams that come to us in November 2011 for the test event it will take a bit of that knock away from if we play them in the Olympics, and we will be more prepared.

We’re learning as we go along and, ok they are the Olympic champions from 2008 but they are just another team we will have to play against in the Olympics in London 2012.